The lawyer representing Sam Bankman-Fried, the former CEO of the now-defunct exchange FTX, has claimed that the proposed jury questions for the upcoming fraud trial might have the potential to elicit biased responses.
In a court filing on September 29, lawyer Mark Cohen, representing Bankman-Fried, contends that the jury questions presented by the US government contain loopholes that could result in an unfair trial for Bankman-Fried.
Cohen stresses the importance of the court reminding potential jurors that Bankman-Fried is entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
He also argues that the language used in the jury selection questions already portrays a biased image, presuming Bankman-Fried's guilt in fraud and money laundering.
Furthermore, Cohen argued that the court should use the voir dire proposed by Bankman-Fried.
On September 15, Cointelegraph reported that the US government opposed Bankman-Fried's proposed questions, declaring them unnecessary and time-consuming.
Specifically, it objects to his questions concerning pretrial publicity, the effective altruism philosophical movement, political donations and lobbying, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Related: FTX founder’s plea for temporary release should be denied, prosecution says
Jury selection will commence on October 3, preceding the trial's start on October 4.
According to a recently released trial calendar, there will be 15 full trial days in October and another six in November.
Bankman-Fried has been in detention at the Metropolitan Detention Center since August 11.
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